It’s looking like remote working will be the ‘new normal’ as we ease our way out of lockdown. While this is the best decision for the safety of employees, it’s not great for business.
To make it through the current crisis in the best position possible, you need to add “helping your employees create a new working routine” to your business strategy. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Help them create a new daily routine
In such an uncertain time, we all need structure in our day-to-day lives. Having a routine not only gives us a sense of control and purpose, but it also reduces stress and increases our productivity too.
To help your employees work from home, here are 4 steps that you can introduce to them:
Step 1 – Write down what you NEED to do each day
Step 2 – Discuss your routine with your spouse or family
Step 3 – Keep to your routine and adjust to what works best
Step 4 – Focus on being consistent but be prepared for change
2. Communicate often and check in regularly
After you’ve given your employees the tools for creating an ideal work routine, you then need to provide them with support to help them work as productively as possible.
Everyone will need different levels of support during this time, so here are a few ways you can engage with them and check-in to see how they are coping:
Use instant messaging apps and video-conferencing software for quick communication.
Maintain a regular meeting schedule to give them an extra layer of structure to their day.
Find new ways to collaborate, maybe on more of a personal level (e.g. a book club or an exercise class).
Be responsive to your employees and pick up the phone now and then to check-in with them.
Make remote working as productive as working in the office!
By helping your team with their daily routine, you’re investing time in them and therefore the future of your practice. This is essential to make it through this difficult time so give your employees the tools and the support to work as productively as they do in the office.
With the recent easing of lockdown restrictions, several businesses are asking some of their employees to return to the workplace when working from home is not a realistic option. Whilst this is a reasonable ask, there will be some employees that are either reluctant or concerned about returning to the workplace. To help with this, we have developed some tips to guide you through how you might approach this.
Step 1– Considerations prior to speaking with the employee
These circumstances are new to us all so, before speaking with the individual you may wish to reflect on whether there are any additional measures you can put in place ease someone’s concern’s about returning to the workplace:
Tip 1 – Review the reasons behind wanting the employee to return to the workplace. Is it possible that the role can be done remotely (fully or partially)?
Tip 2 – Review the workplace safety measures you have put in place (social distancing, staggering working hours, cleaning, PPE etc). Is there something that could/should be done that would increase confidence for those returning to the workplace?
Tip 3 – Consider other employees may be feeling the same but not voicing their concerns.
Step 2 – Having a meaningful conversation
Hold a virtual meeting or call with the individual to explore their concerns. Each individual will have experienced lockdown differently so it is important to understand where their concerns are coming from:
Tip 1 – Starting the conversation, don’t jump straight in – By starting the conversation with a general check in, then outline the purpose of the call as well as let them know it is ok to be feeling anxious they are more likely to feel comfortable expressing their concerns and you are more likely to come up with a workable solution.
Tip 2 – Explore further than the initial response. Whilst citing child care issues may be both true and a very real concern it may not be the underlying reason they are reluctant to return, including (but not limited to):
Concerns relating to commuting on public transport
Child care commitments
Mental health issues that have developed during lockdown
Grieving for a lost family member or friend
Safety in the work place (such as social distancing and PPE measures)
A need to shield (either for themselves or for others in their household)
Loss of confidence in capability due to a long absence away
You should also be prepared for non COVID-19 related concerns such as a break down in a working relationship prior to lockdown
Tip 3 – Be prepared that more than one meeting or call is needed. Some individuals need time to reflect on what is really concerning them, solutions proposed or to come up with alternatives. You may also need some time to rethink solutions so having a follow up meeting or call before finalising any agreement is often beneficial. Also be prepared to break the potential solution down into smaller pieces and once they accept one, review and agree the next step.
Tip 4 – Ask them for solutions that could work. As with any performance conversation, there is more buy-in from the employee if solutions are suggested by them. If the suggestion is workable (even if not perfect) then it may be worth trying initially.
Step 3 – Possible solutions and reasonable adjustments
Whilst there are likely to be a number of options available and you should be guided by the employee, some of the below (in isolation or in combination) are a good place to start:
Phased return (using annual leave and reduced working hours)
Amending working patterns to avoid busy commuting times
Combining working remotely and being in the workplace
Increased frequency of wellbeing check ins
Phased introduction to tasks (starting with a lighter workload to ease the individual in gently)
Ensuring they work with the same person every time they are in the workplace (achieved by agreeing team splits or defining work areas to set individuals)
Step 4 – Follow up
Follow up any conversation in writing to summarise your understanding of the conversation and anything agreed (such as solutions and how/when this might be reviewed) is good practice and also gives the individual the opportunity to confirm or correct your account. This method also has the additional advantage that, should you need to, you can refer to this summary in later conversations.
How to stay positive for your family and your team (even if you are scared and worried too)
Do you run a business where you’re responsible for your employees’ wellbeing? Do you manage a team at work? Do you have children or vulnerable family members who depend on you?
Whether you said to yes to just one or all of the above, having people depend on you, especially during such a difficult time as now, can quickly lead to burnout. If this happens, who will you be able to help then?
To help you stay strong so that you can be there for others during this time, here is how to stay positive even if you’re scared and worried too.
3 steps for staying positive
Step 1: Deal with your fear and anxiety first
You need to let go of the negative feelings draining your energy first before you’re able to feel positive and expend this energy for others. Here are a few ways that you can do that:
Seek community and support by talking to friends and family or joining a support group online.
Get your news and facts from reputable resources but limit your exposure to news and social media.
Plan your daily routine and stick to it to maintain a sense of structure and normality.
Prioritise your own self-care and practice mindfulness activities such as yoga and meditation.
Step 2: Train your brain to think positively
Our brains are wired to protect us, therefore sensing ‘threats’ and thinking ‘negatively’ are often a reflex response. To overcome this, you need to train your mind to think differently. Here are a few ways that you can do that:
Believe a positive attitude is a choice and start to focus on positive thoughts.
Rid your life of negativity by limiting your exposure to the news and people who think negatively.
Practice positivity every day by writing down things that you are grateful for.
Look for positivity to reinforce it in your life. You can do this by re-framing things that happen in a positive way (e.g. finding the silver lining).
Step 3: Share this positivity with others
Only when you let go of negative feelings that are a drain on your energy can you be there for others. Here are some of the best ways you can help others:
Check-in regularly and really listen to them.
Be empathetic and share what works for you.
Help them to be more positive in their lives too.
Spread kindness as much as possible and show your appreciation for people with words and gestures.
With the phased reopening of businesses over the new few weeks to months, many businesses are having to carry on with operating remotely. This means that many employers are faced with the challenge of managing and monitoring their employees who are working from home. It can be extremely challenging to keep track of remote workers, never mind their productivity, so here are our top tips (including software and tools) that you can use to do this effectively.
7 essential tips for monitoring employee performance
Use communication apps like Zoom and Slack – video conferencing software and instant messaging apps can ensure quick and effective communication for everyone.
2. Assign deadlines to tasks – placing a time frame on a task increases motivation. Just make sure that these deadlines are realistic.
3. Check team activity regularly to manage projects – use project management software such as Monday.com, Mavenlink or Trello. These enable you to check progress and manage multiple projects efficiently.
4. Track the time spent on the internet – apps such as TimeDoctor will allow you to gain valuable insight into productivity vs procrastination based on the websites that your employee visits throughout the day.
5. Monitor when employees are actually working – track how much time your employees are working and how much time they are idle or away from their keyboard. Tools like Hubstaff do this by running in the background to monitor keyboard and mouse activity.
6. Supervise employees remotely – remote employee monitoring software (TimeDoctor, Hubstaff etc) allow you to gain insights into productivity as they take screenshots at fixed time intervals (e.g. every 5 minutes).
7. Get everyone to send you an end-of-day summary report – an end-of-day report not only allows you to see whether your employees are spending the appropriate amount of time on tasks that you set, but they also show your employees what they’ve achieved every day too.
Find the programmes that work best for you and your team
Using these tips and software recommendations will allow you to effectively manage your employees while they work from home for the next few weeks and months. To do so doesn’t involve micro-management, but rather engagement and accountability. That’s what communication tools, project management apps, and time-tracking software are for. If you can find the best ones that work for you and your team, then remote working will soon become as productive as working in the office.
From 1 July 2020, Businesses will have the flexibility to bring previously furloughed employees back to work part-time – with the government continuing to pay 80% of wages for any of their normal hours they do not work up until the end of August.
Businesses can decide the hours and shift patterns that their employees will work on their return and you will be responsible for paying their wages in full while working. This means that employees can work as much or as little as your business needs, with no minimum time that you can furlough staff for.
Any working hours arrangement that you agree with your employee must cover at least one week and be confirmed to the employee in writing.
When claiming the CJRS grant for furloughed hours, you will report and claim for a minimum period of a week. Businesses can choose to make claims for longer periods such as on monthly or two weekly cycles if this is more appropriate.
You will be required to submit data on the usual hours an employee would be expected to work in a claim period and actual hours worked. We can assist and make the claims for you.
If your employees are unable to return to work, or you do not have work for them to do, they can remain on furlough and you can continue to claim the grant for their full hours under the existing rules.
Employer contributions
From August, the government grant will be tapered as follows:
For June and July, the government will pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 as well as employer National Insurance (ER’s NICs) and pension contributions for the hours the employee does not work – employers will have to pay employees for the hours they work.
In August, the government will continue to pay 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 but employers will pay ER’s NIC’s and pension contributions.
From 1 September, the government will pay 70% of wages up to a cap of £2,187.50 for the hours the employee does not work – employers will pay ER NICs, pension contributions and 10% of wages to make up 80% of the total up to a cap of £2,500
For the final month of the scheme in October, the government will pay 60% of wages up to a cap of £1,875 for the hours the employee does not work – employers will pay ER NICs, pension contributions and 20% of wages to make up 80% of the total up to a cap of £2,500
the cap on the furlough grant will be proportional to the hours not worked.
Important dates
It is important to note that the scheme will close to new entrants from 30 June. From this point onwards, you will only be able to furlough employees that you have furloughed for a full three-week period prior to 30 June.
This means that the final date that you can furlough an employee for the first time will be 10 June for the current three-week furlough period to be completed by 30 June. Employers will have until 31 July to make any claims in respect of the period to 30 June.
Guidance and support
Further support on how to calculate claims with the extra flexibility will be available by 12 June and we will keep you informed about the detail and your written requirements in due course. If you have any questions please contact us.
Sole Traders to get second grant from the Government.
The government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will be extended, giving more security to individuals whose livelihoods are adversely affected by coronavirus in the coming months, the Chancellor announced on Friday 29 May 2020. Rishi Sunak announced the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will be extended – with those eligible able to claim a second and final grant capped at £6,570.
Individuals can continue to apply for the first SEISS grant until 13 July. Under the first grant, eligible individuals can claim a taxable grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits, and capped at £7,500 in total. Those eligible have the money paid into their bank account within six working days of completing a claim.
Applications for the second grant will open in August. Individuals will be able to claim a second taxable grant worth 70% of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits, and capped at £6,570 in total.
The eligibility criteria are the same for both grants, and individuals will need to confirm that their business has been adversely affected by coronavirus. An individual does not need to have claimed the first grant to receive the second grant: for example, they may only have been adversely affected by COVID-19 in this later phase.
Further guidance on the second grant will be published on Friday 12 June and we will keep you up to date with the details when we know them.
The portal opens this week to claim your grant is you are self-employed. This is capped as a taxable lump sum of £7500. Once your claim is approved the money will be in your bank account within 6 working days.
To check whether you are eligible for this grant click here. Directors of limited companies are NOT eligible for the scheme.
This is essentially ‘free’ money for sole traders whose business has been adversely impacted by Coronavirus. You will need to confirm to HMRC that your business has been adversely affected by Coronavirus. This could be because you have been unable to work, or Coronavirus has reduced the demand for your services/products.
We cannot make the claim on your behalf. (And that’s HMRC’s decision, not our decision) But we can help you decide whether you are eligible.
To make the claim you will need some important numbers:
Your self-assessment unique taxpayer reference number (UTR).
The government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will remain open until the end of October,
The key points announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak are:
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will continue until end of October
furloughed workers across UK will continue to receive 80% of their current salary, up to £2,500
new flexibility will be introduced from August to get employees back to work and boost economy
The Government stated as we reopen the economy, we need to support people to get back to work. From the start of August, furloughed workers will be able to return to work part-time with employers being asked to pay a percentage towards the salaries of their furloughed staff.
The employer payments will substitute the contribution the government is currently making, ensuring that staff continue to receive 80% of their salary, up to £2,500 a month.
New statistics published today revealed the job retention scheme has protected 7.5 million workers and almost 1 million businesses.
The scheme will continue in its current form until the end of July and the changes to allow more flexibility will come in from the start of August.
The government will explore ways through which furloughed workers who wish to do additional training or learn new skills are supported during this period. It will also continue to work closely with the Devolved Administrations to ensure the scheme supports people across the Union.
The Chancellor’s decision to extend the scheme, which will continue to apply across all regions and sectors in the UK economy, comes after the government outlined its plan for the next phase of its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
You can subscribe to HMRC updates on the above link to receive these if you are not already doing so.
NEW FEATURES ON CJRS ONLINE CLAIM SERVICE.
Save and return option now added
In response to feedback from claimants using the service, HMRC have added a ‘save and return’ option. This means that you can now return to a partially completed claim, rather than having to do it all in one go.
HMRC guidance on making a claim
When you make a claim through CJRS, you should receive the funds within six working days after you apply, provided your claim matches records that HMRC hold for your PAYE scheme.
Making sure that you submit your claim correctly will reduce the chance of any delayed or wrong payments.
These steps should help keep the process as straight forward as possible:
read the guidance before you apply, to find this go to GOV.UK and search for ‘Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme’, there is a step-by-step guide to applying and a calculator
check your employees are eligible, by looking at the guidance on GOV.UK
check your calculations each time you submit a claim, in case any details have changed
only submit one claim per pay period – you cannot submit another claim for overlapping periods; this means that in each claim you should include all furloughed employees paid during that period
if you have missing National Insurance numbers for employees, do try and find them so it doesn’t delay your claim; if an employee doesn’t have a National Insurance number yet, you should contact HMRC in order to complete your claim; go to GOV.UK and search for ‘get help with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme’ to find out how to contact us
double check all the information in the claim before you submit it, including your bank details.
We understand that sometimes you might make an error in your claim, and HMRC are working on a process to enable you to amend a claim. In the meantime, please do not amend your next claim to reflect any errors that you may have made in a previous one, as this could delay payment. If HMRC spot an error then, where possible, they will contact you or your agent to correct the claim.
After Boris’ speech on Sunday, selected businesses are now allowed to open under the new HSE guidelines. If you are considering opening your Business work your way through our checklist to make sure it is the right time to open and that you have all the steps in place to make a safe environment for you and your team.
1. Do we have a plan to reopen with ‘social distancing’ in place when our business is legally allowed to?
Do we have a supply of hand sanitiser available for all entrances and exits used by staff and customers?
Can these sanitisers to be fixed in place to minimise theft?
Have we done a deep clean of our premises?
Do we have a supply of face masks for staff? If possible branded? Contact Kiiwii.
Have we worked out how to minimise the risk to staff by introducing social distancing wherever possible? E.g. spacing out seating, staggering shift times or rotas, placing visual markers where queues form to help people socially distance?
2. Do we have a plan to reengage with staff who have been furloughed?
Are they physically able to return to work? And on what basis?
What hours do we need them to work? And does this require formal HR assistance if there is a major impact to their working hours or contract?
What training will they need to be safe and competent doing their job?
Will they need to be reskilled or reassigned? And how will this happen?
3. Have we forecasted the impact of social distancing on our business?
Reduced demand and capacity?
Cash flow? Turnover? Profit?
Resource requirements?
Parents of school age children may still need to be at home with their children?
4. Have we identified ways to reduce the need for customers to physically be on our premises?
Telephone and/or internet ordering?
Photos or videos of our products/services on our website?
Deliveries to customer homes?
Click and collect?
5. Have we done a risk assessment and implemented recommendations to minimise the risk to our staff?
How to reduce contact in our offices and premises?
Increased cleaning of all surfaces?
Education and training to staff on how they will play their part to keep everyone safe?
6. Have we identified ways to increase demand for our business’s services or products whilst still remaining ‘COVID-19’ secure?
New products or services which will be in demand?
Different ways of delivering the service or fulfilling the order or demand?
New channels to market? E.g. direct to consumers?
If you would like some help and advice about re-opening your business please contact jade@1accounts.co.uk
On Sunday Boris Johnson addressed the UK and gave a speech that confused the nation. Stay alert, control the virus, save lives. Full of contradictions the speech lacked clarity and direction leaving the UK feeling lost. Yesterday, in parliament we gained a little more clarity on the road map, however each step is conditional to the spread of the virus and still lacks detail on how business will be able to reopen and when people will be able to see their families. So what has changed? We have written a summery of the changes so far in the roadmap, all of which are subject to change if the virus escalates. For the full documentation please click here.
Phase One – Effective from 13th May
For the foreseeable future, workers who are able to work from home should continue.
Workers who are unable to work from home should travel to work where possible.
Sectors of the economy that are allowed to be open, should be open. This includes food production, construction, manufacturing, logistics, distribution & scientific research in laboratories. These business should follow the new “COVID-19 Secure” guidelines that will be published this week.
People should aim to wear a face-covering in enclosed spaces where social distancing isn’t always possible. If your business would like branded face masks please contact Kiiwii Clothing.
People may exercise outside as many times each day as they wish. Making sure social distancing is still in effect.
People may drive to outdoor open spaces as long as social distancing is adhered to.
People can meet up with one other person not from their household to exercise with, providing they stay two metres apart. Paul will be happy as he will be able to play golf again.
Vulnerable people to continue to minimise contact with others outside their households, but do not need to be shielded.
Phase Two – Effective from June 1st (at the earliest)
A phased return for schools. The department of education will engage closely with schools and nurseries to develop detail and guidance on how schools can facilitate this.
Opening non-essential retail. Hospitality and personal care are not included in this phase.
Permitting cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed-doors to be broadcasted.
The re-opening of more local public transport. Subject to strict measures.
Potentially allow people to expand their household group to include one other household.
The Government is also looking into how to facilitate small weddings.
Phase Three – Effective from July 4th (at the earliest)
To open personal care businesses, such as hairdressers and beauty salons.
To open hospitality, such as restaurants, pubs and accommodation.
To open public places, such as places of worship.
To open leisure facilities, such as cinemas.
These steps are all subject to following the COVID-19 secure guidelines. Venues that are naturally crowded and cannot execute social distancing may still not be able to open.
Each phase will be monitored and the Government have expressed that they will not hesitate to lock everything down again if the virus escalates. Social distancing must be followed to be able to move forward with the roadmap.
Going ‘back to normal’ seems a long way off. But the most important thing, is for everyone to stay safe and healthy.
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